Fastjet launches in Africa

Fastjet, the first low-cost airline for Africa, backed by easyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou, has launched with its British management team promising to "give people used to 12 hour bus rides the option to fly".

Air travel in Africa is among the most expensive in the world, with some 45 minute flights costing more than £300.

Fastjet offers base fares from £13 before taxes, cheaper than taking long-distance buses, and begins its first commercial flights from its hub in Tanzania's commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, on Thursday.

Its British bosses, former senior managers of airlines including easyJet, Go, FlyBe and Ryanair, intend to open new hubs in Kenya next and later in Ghana and Angola.

"There is no typical fastjet passenger," said Ed Winter, its chief executive and formerly chief operating officer at both Go and easyJet.

"There will be everyone from people who have never flown before, to traders finding new markets, to government ministers. The idea is to give people who used to spend 12 hours on a bus to visit their relatives the option to fly for the first time."

Fastjet's first aircraft, a 156-seat Airbus A319 that was until six weeks ago in service with easyJet, took its inaugural public flight from Dar es Salaam on Tuesday, a 40-minute round trip over the Indian Ocean above Zanzibar.

Regular African passengers used to ample space in the continent's flag-carrying airlines are likely to be surprised at both the limited leg room and the charges for drinks, snacks and checked-in bags.

Apart from two domestic no frills outfits in South Africa, all other airlines in Sub-Saharan Africa operate full service flights.

"It is going to take a week or two to get this new model fully understood, few passengers in Africa have had exposure to the way low cost carriers operate," said Kyle Haywood, fastjet's general manager, who earlier helped launch the Gulf's first no frills airline, Air Arabia.

Fastjet plans to expand its fleet, all Airbus A319s, to 15 aircraft within 12 months. Its initial route focus will be in East Africa, with hubs in Dar es Salaam and Nairobi serving Ethiopia, South Sudan, Uganda and Rwanda.

"We're looking at a lot of different possible destinations," Mr Winter said. When asked if they might include Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, he said, "why not? There's a lot of demand." The company is majority owned by Lonrho, with Mr Haji-Ioannou holding 5 per cent of the shares and acting as lead consultant.